Why I won’t let the “Big Five” publish my next book

Every year, we’re lucky to have great sponsors for our nonprofit events. Pronoun, a 2015 Camp NaNoWriMo sponsor, asked author Christina Bryza to share her publishing experiences… and what she’s learned from them:

August has barely begun, yet my eyes are on November: I’m determined to finish (and maybe restart) the book I’ve been playing with during April and July at camp.

And when it’s done? Of course I want to publish, but the question is: how?

I worked at Simon & Schuster for nearly a decade, where I was a published author as well as an employee. I had the unique opportunity to experience all aspects of traditional publishing, and while I collaborated with a bevy of good people, I didn’t ultimately get a good deal…

I’ll always be grateful for the deal I got, however, because it taught me a ton about what authors need and want. Before I published, I understood that authors considered their books their babies, but inside the company we saw them as products. I didn’t know how vulnerable it feels to put your heart’s work in the hands of someone else.

Now I know. And sentiment aside, it’s a problem that my metadata (description, bio, search terms, price) is in someone else’s hands. It’s a problem that my rights to my work are no longer mine. It’s a problem that while my financial stake in my book is low (I receive less than ten percent of each sale), my emotional stake is higher than anyone else’s.

My book is indeed a product, but I also love it dearly. And because I published traditionally, I’m relatively powerless to help it succeed. I can’t lower the price or change my book description; I can’t send out the ebook for free to reviewers or optimize my keywords for SEO.

I’m still committed to publishing professionally, but for my next book I’m using a free platform that lets me keep 100% control of my rights and my earnings, and uses technology and data to help me market and sell. I’m not looking for a book contract or backing from the Big Five. Been there, done that. I’m publishing on Pronoun.

A week after I learned Pronoun existed, I quit my job at Simon & Schuster. That’s how excited I was to take part in a new kind of publishing, a kind that empowers the author above anyone else.

Yes, I love Pronoun because I work there. But I work there because I’m an author who deeply values books and the people who create them. I’m grateful I get to help create a new pathway for writers to succeed, and I can’t wait to be “Pronoun published.”

Christina Bryza is the author of Are You My Boyfriend? and the Director of Author Advocacy & Marketing at Pronoun, a digital publishing platform for authors. She’s been a Wrimo since 2007 (so far she’s won with a novel, a memoir, and a short story collection) and is eager to publish her newest book in a new way.